Recipe 1: Libyan Stew

Just finished chowing down on two bowls of libyan stew. it turned out really well for me. i didn't use a mortar and pestle cuz the coriander seeds kept on popping out while i was trying to crush them. i ran it thru my coffee grinder instead. i also used roasted red peppers from a jar that was dying to get used out of my frig since i forgot to get a green chili at the grocer. had it with some crusty 7grain bread. mmmm. Looking forward to hearing how you liked the recipe. hope you both had a relaxing weekend
love from chicago,
elaine


6 oz finely chopped lamb fillet
1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp of ground allspice
2 heaped tsps mild chilli powder
140g tomato puree
1 large green chili , chopped finely
2 tsp sugar
11/2 pints of water
1 pint chicken stock
4 oz dried chick peas soaked over night (or 2 cans chickpeas)
2 oz cous cous
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp oil

Heat coriander and cumin seeds in hot pan until they pop and are aromatic. Crush in mortar and pestle, or coffee grinder
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in large skillet/casserole pan. Soften onion and garlic. Add crushed spices, allspice, chilli powder and cook for a few minutes. Transfer to a plate. In same pan add rest of oil and brown meat quickly over a hot heat. Turn heat down and return onion mixture, add tomato puree, green chili, suger stir then add water and stock stir. Add chick peas, cover and simmer for 1 hr ( if using dried) much less if you are using canned.When ready to serve, add salt, couscous, parsley and mint and remove from heat for 3 mins. Serve with lemon wedges ( important touch)

Hope you'll get to the Libyan Stew this week. I'm really excited about starting this test kitchen via web. I actually got this idea from my webcam cooking session with Cath while I was in Brussels. We've been trying to make it a regular thing. But I decided it would be so much fun to include the rest of you girls who would LOVE this kind of thing. Just so all of you know, I was very selective in my invitation. You guys are all serious foodies. You guys all know your stuff. Anyway, I wanted to quickly introduce everyone to eachother. You guys have all probably heard of eachother from me.
Kate - Brussels, BELGIUM. Everyone has heard me talk about "kate" this..."kate" that...over the past 6 months. It's too bad you guys weren't there for all those meals and desserts she made for me. now you guys get to meet her.
Cath - Austin, TX. I met Cath in Philadelphia when Mike was in b-school. After looking at one of her used cookbooks one night over dinner, I got the bug ... this serious addiction for used cookbooks especially ones with cute illustrations and really bad recipes.
Jer - San Diego, CA Jer and I lived together in NYC. I started my obsession with cooking when we shared a kitchen together, cooked for 4 other boys in our apt, and threw some pretty amazing parties.
Ashley - Denver, CO ... soon to be Seattle, WA. I met Ashley when we were both consultants at Accenture. I could plan menus and just talk food with her all day. Another food blog junky like me.
Let's try this club idea out and if we all still like it after a couple recipes, feel free to invite your foodie friend.
OK, I'd love to do this every week but wanted to see if people could handle every 2 weeks first. So finish making your Lybian Stew (recipe courtesy of Kate). Try and send pics of your dish. Visuals are always nice. So Cath can pick the next recipe, then Jer, then Ashley, then Kate, and back to me. And if you guys can't wait to try a recipe, definitely share it with us, we'll definitely try and fit it into our cooking repetoire.